CELTIC 4 – 0 HAMILTON
CELTIC fans were singing in the rain as Ronny Deila’s side eased three points clear of Aberdeen at the top of the Premiership.
Armstrong replaced Forrest just before the hour mark.and Johansen drove a shot off the post after being set up by Bitton, before grabbing Celtic’s second. The Norwegian pounced on the loose ball to fire in after McGovern had parried an effort from Van Dijk.
Kris Commons, making his comeback after a three-game lay-off with a hamstring injury, got the ball rolling in the 56th minute after first-half heroics from former Hoops stand-by keeper Michael McGovern.
He netted another after goals from Stefan Johansen and John Guidetti to put a proper complexion on the scoreline in what was basically a one-sided affair. There was never any likelihood of Accies replicating their shock 1-0 win in Paradise in October. .
The champions have a game in hand over the Dons, whom they host next Sunday. As CQN Magazine indicated yesterday, there were places in the line-up for Guidetti and Commons while Efe Ambrose and James Forrest were also handed starts with Adam Matthews, Stuart Armstrong, Gary Mackay-Steven and Leigh Griffiths dropping to the bench.
In the eighth minute, Hoops midfielder Nir Bitton got his head to an inswinging Commons free-kick, forcing a fine point-blank parry from McGovern on his goal-line. Four minutes later the keeper made another fine save close-range, this time from Forrest who volleyed in a cross from Ambrose.
McGovern made another save from a Virgil Van Dijk header and then there were efforts from Guidetti and Johansen, from long range, as the Hoops looked for an advantage before the interval.
Matthews came on for Jason Denayer at the start of the second-half with Ambrose moving in beside van Dijk. The breakthrough goal arrived when Van Dijk surged forward through the middle towards the Accies box before picking out Commons who steadied himself before driving low past McGovern.
Armstrong replaced Forrest just before the hour mark.and Johansen drove a shot off the post after being set up by Bitton, before grabbing Celtic’s second. The Norwegian pounced on the loose ball to fire in after McGovern had parried an effort from Van Dijk.McGovern made a double save from the Dutchman and then Matthews, before Guidetti bulleted in an Emilio Izaguirre cross in the 77th minute with his head with Commons then grabbing his second from yards out in 81 minutes to confirm Celtic’s superiority.
It was another welcome and well-earned triumph as the surge towards a fourth successive Premiership title continued.
Bring on the Dons! But before that bring on Inter Milan.
Finally a word about the Hamilton fans who seemed to be infiltrated today by a group of non scarf wearing troublemakers. Singing songs about child abuse and chanting sectarian bile they fought with Police and stewards, produced a red Union flag and generally acted in a horrible manner all afternoon.
TEAM: Gordon, Ambrose, Denayer (sub:Matthews), van Dijk, Izaguirre, Brown, Bitton, Johansen (sub: Henderson), Commons, Forrest (Armstrong), Guidetti.
